Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer at Housing Works
Thursday June 4, 2009
Last night, I attended a great event at the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe. Bestselling author Neil Gaiman and musician Amanda Palmer performed to a packed house of fans and VIPs. I had a bird's-eye view from my perch on the staircase above the crowd as Neil and Amanda performed songs and selections from their upcoming book/album collaboration Who Killed Amanda Palmer.
The book doesn't hit stores until July 7th, but Housing Works auctioned off an advance copy (complete with Neil's doodles and lots of naked Amanda pictures). The bidding was fierce and the book eventually sold for $1,100 (Congratulations! I was rooting for you, bearded guy!).
Neil read stories of creepy human statues and drawing on eyelids. Amanda sang about love, her childhood home, and obsessive Googling. During the Q&A session, the two revealed that they are dating and recently posed for a bathtub photo shoot. A good time was had by all. I had to fight my way through the autograph line to get to the door.
If anybody has pictures of last night's performance, I'd love to post one. Please also add a comment on the performance if you were there.
Related Weekend Pick: Mark your calendar for this Saturday's Housing Works Open Air Street Fair on Crosby Street between Houston and Prince Streets. Shop for $1 books and browse through mountains of clothing, jewelry, and artwork from the Housing Works Thrift Shops. Or just chill out at the outdoor cafe or in the Sixpoint beer tent. All proceeds benefit Housing Works and their work to help New Yorkers battling HIV/AIDS and homelessness.
Learn more about the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
Learn more about Housing Works Thrift Shops
Comments
Hi Pamela,
Thanks for rooting for me! Amanda & Neil were amazing on stage & off. It went against my nature to stand out in a crowd, but I knew 2nd place wouldn’t do. I’m happy to help a great non-profit like Housing Works because I’ve been involved in the very recent launch of a music based cancer charity web site for micro donations. It’s essentially an iTunes for charities. Artists record old songs to benefit cancer charities of their choice.
Because our site, PioneersForACure.org, has partnered with NY based 501c3 Joodayoh, every “purchase” of an mp3 is actually a tax-deductible donation.
Pioneers For A Cure launched April 29th, 2009 with an e-blast to almost a quarter million people. We received donations and downloads on our first day from Australia, England, Canada, the US and many more places. At the 30 day mark last week, I counted over 40% of our donors had voluntarily upgraded their donations from the minimum $1.99 to $9.99 or even $99.99! OVER 40%! Even in this economy, people want to join the fight against cancer in a meaningful way.
Please let me know what you think of the site.
Here’s a shot from last night;
http://www.spin.com/gallery/amanda-palmer-neil-gaiman-perform-together-nyc?page=7#main
Great photo! Did the book live up to your expectations? I will definitely check out your site. Sounds like a good cause.
What a joke that these two are doing charity events while they support the deadly cult of Scientology. Neil Gaiman and The Gaiman Family USA are “Patrons with Honors,” of Scientology, meaning they make major donations ( $100,000.00 or more) to the cult and have committed themselves to life-long membership. Scientologists work in teams, so Amanda Palmer is involved with a network of Scientologists.